Ingredients:
Bengal quince [Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa] fruit
Allspice [Pimenta officinalis Lindl., syn. P. dioica (L.) Merr.]
fruit
Colombine (Aquilegia vulgaris L.) aerial part
Marigold/calendula (Calendula officinalis L.) flower
Cardamom [Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton] fruit
Clove [Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M. Perry]
flower
Costus (Indian) [Saussurea lappa (Decne.) C.B. Clarke, syn.
Sassurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch.] root
Ginger lily (Hedychium spicatum Sm.) rhizome
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) leaf
Iceland moss (Cetraria islandica L. Ach.)
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) root
Neem/margosa (Azadirachta indica A. Juss., syn: Melia
azadirachta L.) fruit
Myrobalan (Tropical almond) (Terminalia chebula Retz.)
fruit
Ribwort/English plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) aerial
part
Knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare L.) aerial part
Golden cinquefoil (Potentilla aurea L.) aerial part
Red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus L. f.) heart wood
Country mallow/heartleaved sida (Sida cordifolia L.) aerial
part
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) root
Gypsum/calcium sulfate
Dextro-camphora/natural camphor
Padma® 28 (recipe No. 28 of the Padma recipe series) is an herbal
remedy consisting of 22 ingredients prepared according to Tibetan
medicine principals. The recipe was brought to St. Petersberg, Russia
in the middle of the nineteenth century by a physician/monk, Sultim
Badma. The original formula has been altered with its entry into
Western Europe, in that some of the ingredient plants from Tibet and
India have been substituted with plants from Europe. The European
version has been tested in numerous clinical studies and is registered
as a drug in Switzerland. It is indicated for symptoms of poor circulation,
including tingling, formication (feeling of insects crawling on
the skin), feeling of heaviness, and tension in the arms and legs, as
well as numbness of the hands and feet (Saller and Kristof, 1997).
The formula available in the United States is Padma® BASIC,
which is Padma 28 minus one ingredient. The missing ingredient is
aconite tuber (Aconitum napellus L.), which is considered an “unsafe
herb” in the United States, subject to import restriction (CADHS,
1996). Thus, Padma BASIC is a blend of 19 herbs plus camphor and
calcium sulfate. Padma BASIC is manufactured in Switzerland by
PadmaAG, and distributed in the United States by EcoNugenics Inc.
Although Padma 28 and Padma BASIC are not equivalent, their ingredients
are very similar, and the products are both made by the
same manufacturer. Thus, we decided to include Padma BASIC in
this listing. Another product for sale in the United States that is also
similar to Padma 28 is Adaptrin, manufactured by Pacific BioLogic.
Experimental studies with Padma 28 indicate that it may have antioxidant
and anti-inflammatory properties (Saller and Kristof, 1997).
We reviewed two trials that included adults with multiple sclerosis or
children with recurrent respiratory tract infections. However, the majority
of the studies (six) that we reviewed focused on the ability of
Padma 28 to treat symptoms of circulatory disorders.
Intermittent claudication is a symptom that occurs when the blood
supply is adequate to meet the needs of the exercising muscle. This
occurs most commonly due to occlusive arterial disease, also known
as peripheral arterial disease, or more commonly known as peripheral
arterial occlusion (PAO). PAO is a condition in which narrowing of
the arteries, generally caused by atherosclerosis, limits the blood supply
to the legs. Early stages of the disease are without symptoms, but
later stages are associated with leg pain and muscle cramps upon
walking, and ultimately, ischemic ulceration, gangrene, and tissue
loss. The stages have been classified in a system according to
Fontaine: Stage I represents those who are asymptomatic with isolated
arterial stenosis of the lower limb; Stage II is mild to moderately
severe leg pain and muscle cramps upon walking; Stage III are those
with pain while resting; and Stage IV are those with ulcerations and
gangrene (Dicter et al., 2002). The Padma studies included patients
with Stage II of the disease. After the subject walks a “pain-free distance,”
cramplike ischemic pains begin. These pains eventually force
the subject to stop walking, determining the “maximal walking distance.”
Upon rest, the legs recover from deficiencies of blood and oxygen,
the pain disappears, and the subject can again walk a certain
distance (Schrader, 1985).
